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Safety light for trailers

a safety light and trailer technology, applied in the field of safety, can solve the problems of driving with particular difficulty in turning or backing up in terms of seeing the rear wheel assemblies, tire damage or even content damage, blinding others, etc., to prevent sideways illumination glare, facilitate backing up or emergency stops

Inactive Publication Date: 2014-07-08
KISER LAWRENCE E
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  • Summary
  • Abstract
  • Description
  • Claims
  • Application Information

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The solution provides superior illumination of the rear wheel assembly without blinding glare, enhancing driver visibility during turns and backups while maintaining a cosmetic appeal and preventing tire damage, and is easily installed on trailers.

Problems solved by technology

Commercial vehicles, particularly those wherein a tractor and a trailer are used, give the driver particular difficulty when turning or backing up in terms of seeing the rear wheel assemblies.
Often these wheels roll up and over curbs or other obstacles which could result in tire damage or even content damage should the load shift severely.
Another problem with this method of illuminating the rear wheels was the light or lamp was set up to shine outwardly and this, while clearly illuminating the curb, was blinding to others particularly cars in cross traffic when the trailer made a left hand turn and to some lesser extent blinded the truck driver as the light bounced off his mirror.
These and other issues made this solution less than desirable.
An even bigger negative aspect was this prior art concept was not an attractive design and was simply a utilitarian solution.

Method used

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  • Safety light for trailers
  • Safety light for trailers
  • Safety light for trailers

Examples

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third embodiment

[0027]In a third embodiment shown in FIGS. 1B, 2B, 3B and 4B; an illumination device 10B is shown having a “U” shaped housing structure 46. This structure 46 has a top 18 about 1⅛ inches across and two sides 17 each ⅝ inches tall with a channel 11 of about 1.0 inches wide. In this embodiment, the lamps 12 are offset to one side as illustrated. This offset facilitates assembly to the underside of the trailer using screws 60 through the holes 62 as shown in FIG. 4B.

fourth embodiment

[0028]In FIGS. 1C, 2C, 3C and 4C; a fourth embodiment illumination device 10C is shown. This device 10C is preferably used in pairs, one device 10C on each rear side of the trailer 2. These illumination devices 10C are used for illuminating the rear of the trailer 2 as shown. As shown, the “F” shaped housing structure 36 is used; however, any of the “h” or “U” shaped structures could be used. Each device 10C is at least 12 inches, preferably 18 inches to 24 inches in overall length.

[0029]With reference to FIGS. 5, 5A, 5B and 5C, the illumination devices 10, 10A, 10B and 10C respectively are shown attached to the trailer 2 looking upwardly to the underside. The wiring 40 is shown spliced into the tail light wiring and placed in a sealed electrical box 90. This powers the lighting circuit means 30 for the devices 10, 10A, 10B and 10C. As shown in FIG. 6, the preferred wiring schematic is shown.

[0030]In the circuit diagram of FIG. 6, it is illustrated that when the turn signal is turne...

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PUM

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Abstract

Trailer illumination device 10 for illuminating a rear wheel assembly 4 of a trailer 2 has a housing structure 16, a plurality of lamps 12 and a circuit means 30. The housing structure 16 is for attachment to a side or bottom of the trailer 2 and has a channel 11 formed by one or more sides of the housing structure 16. When attached to a trailer 2, the device 10 extends from in front of the wheel assembly 4 to past the wheel assembly 4. The circuit means 30 is connected electronically to the rear turn signal light wiring and energizes the lights 12 of the device 10 when the tail lights 3 are on and the turn signal or flasher is activated.

Description

RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]The present invention claims benefit of priority to U.S. Provisional Application 61 / 476,884 filed on Apr. 19, 2011 entitled “Safety Light For Trailers”.TECHNICAL FIELD[0002]The present invention relates to an illumination device which can be mounted on a trailer above rear wheels to allow the driver of a vehicle to see the wheels at night during turning maneuvers and when backing up.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0003]Commercial vehicles, particularly those wherein a tractor and a trailer are used, give the driver particular difficulty when turning or backing up in terms of seeing the rear wheel assemblies. Often these wheels roll up and over curbs or other obstacles which could result in tire damage or even content damage should the load shift severely.[0004]To avoid this problem, it was suggested to provide an illumination system as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,682,138 entitled “Illumination System For A Semi Trailer Or The Like”. The ingenious solution prov...

Claims

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Application Information

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Patent Type & Authority Patents(United States)
IPC IPC(8): B60Q1/32B60Q1/22B60Q1/34F21V21/00F21S8/10
CPCB60Q1/22B60Q1/24B60Q1/247
Inventor KISER, LAWRENCE, E
Owner KISER LAWRENCE E